The Greatest Name of Allah
Just as
Allah has the Most Beautiful Names, He also has a Greatest Name, by which He
answers whoever calls upon Him and grants whoever asks of Him. This name is
mentioned in the following hadiths:
1.
Narrated
Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man supplicating and
saying: “O Allah! I ask you by virtue that I
testify that you are Allah; there is no God but You, the one —· the Self
Sufficient Master, Who did not beget, and was not begotten, and to whom no one
is equal.”
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His
Greatest Name, the one which if He is called upon by it, He responds, and when
He is asked by it, He gives.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi,
An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah. Al-Mundhiri said: “Our teacher, Abu Al-Hasan
Al-Maqdisi, said: This chain of narration has no grounds for criticism, and I
do not know of a better narration on this subject.” Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said:
“In terms of its chain of narration, this hadith is the strongest of those
reported on this subject.” See Fiqh As-Sunnah, Vol. 2.)
2.
Narrated
Anas Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered
the mosque, where he found a man who had finished praying and was supplicating,
saying:
“O Allah! None has the right to be worshiped but You alone, and You have
no partner or associate. the Bestower, the Originator of the
heavens and the earth, the Possessor of majesty and honor.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do you know by what
he has asked Allah? He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name which, if He is
asked thereby He gives and if He is called upon thereby He answers. (Narrated
by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah.)
3.
Narrated
Asma’ Bint Yazid (may Allah be pleased with her): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “God’s greatest name is in these two verses, ‘And your
God is one God; there is no god but He, the Compassionate, the Merciful’
[Quran, ii, 163.], and the beginning of Al `Imran, ‘A.L.M. God, there is no god
but He, the Living, the Eternal’ [Quran, iii. 1.]”
4.
Narrated
Sa`d Ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
be upon him) say: “Shall I tell you of Allah’s
Greatest Name, by which, if He is called upon, He answers, and if He is asked,
He gives? It is the supplication made by Jonah when he called out in the three
layers of darkness: {There is none worthy of worship but You, glory is to You.
Surely, I was among the wrongdoers.}” A
man asked: “O Messenger of Allah, was this supplication specific to Jonah, or
does it apply to all believers?”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon
him) replied: “Have you not heard the words of
Allah, the Almighty: {So We answered his prayer and rescued him from distress.
And so do We save the believers.} [Al-Anbiya’ 21:88]?” (Narrated by Al-Hakim)
Identifying the Greatest Name of Allah
Scholars
have differed over which name of Allah is His Greatest Name. The strongest
opinion among their views is that it is a supplication composed of several of
His Exalted Names. When a person invokes Allah with this supplication while
fulfilling the conditions of supplication prescribed in Islamic law, Allah
answers their prayer.
It is not
a hidden secret that Allah grants to certain individuals, enabling them to
perform extraordinary feats, defy the ordinary course of events, and accomplish
what others are incapable of achieving. Nor should we add anything to the Book
of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger.
Understanding the Most Beautiful Names of
Allah
When a
person understands these Names, grasps their meanings, allows them to move
their heart, and adopts them as a guiding light, they open vast horizons of
knowledge about Allah. They also reveal to that person one of the greatest
truths of existence.
Some
people may believe that certain Names of Allah possess special properties, such
that regularly repeating them will bring abundant blessings, wonders, and
supernatural occurrences. However, this belief has no basis in religion.
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